Question for Those Who Have Lost Distance Due to Age/Surgery - Strategy

[Jack50]

I wondered how those who have lost distance like to play? I used to hit my 7 iron nearly 200 yards, now it's more like 150. Not to go into detail but needs some surgery and took a couple of years to start swinging golf club again. I'm hoping some power comes back but not holding my breath as I'm losing weight. The problem is my accuracy is no better than it was on each club. The question is should I lay up a lot of par 4s and play them as 3 shot holes or just go for it? I wondered how those that have lost yardage like to play? Maybe I need to practice more than I used to. I used to take an 7 iron off most tees and get the ball out there 190-200 yards , sometimes even an 8 iron for 180. This would leave me a shot to the green. I can't do that anymore now I've lost 50 yards per club. Any tips on what to do for strategy would be helpful. My short game is ok (for a casual player), especially inside 50 yards I would expect to get down in 3 85-90% of the time. Thanks.

[boogielicious]

19 minutes ago, Jack50 said:

I wondered how those who have lost distance like to play? I used to hit my 7 iron nearly 200 yards, now it's more like 150. Not to go into detail but needs some surgery and took a couple of years to start swinging golf club again. I'm hoping some power comes back but not holding my breath as I'm losing weight. The problem is my accuracy is no better than it was on each club. The question is should I lay up a lot of par 4s and play them as 3 shot holes or just go for it? I wondered how those that have lost yardage like to play? Maybe I need to practice more than I used to. I used to take an 7 iron off most tees and get the ball out there 190-200 yards , sometimes even an 8 iron for 180. This would leave me a shot to the green. I can't do that anymore now I've lost 50 yards per club. Any tips on what to do for strategy would be helpful. My short game is ok (for a casual player), especially inside 50 yards I would expect to get down in 3 85-90% of the time. Thanks.

I hit my 7 iron around 145. Most of the course it play have par 4s from 325 to 425. I still use driver off the tee on most and then the appropriate club to come in. Yesterday on a 440 yard par 4 I used driver and 4H to get on the green. I landed short with the hybrid, but it rolled on.

Best advice is to learn your current distances and shot zones and then work on getting your flexibility and strength back. Surgeries take a lot out of your body and it can take a while to get it back.

[Jack50]

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I hit my 7 iron around 145. Most of the course it play have par 4s from 325 to 425. I still use driver off the tee on most and then the appropriate club to come in. Yesterday on a 440 yard par 4 I used driver and 4H to get on the green. I landed short with the hybrid, but it rolled on.

Best advice is to learn your current distances and shot zones and then work on getting your flexibility and strength back. Surgeries take a lot out of your body and it can take a while to get it back.

I think a driver or wood would be ideal. I need to groove them on the range. I've only been practicing with irons. Hitting 5 iron 170 off the tee isn't good enough on some holes, they become a 3 shotter. The key is getting the ball in play and avoiding big scores though for the casual player to enjoy themselves. My friend has a 3H, I was never able to hit those things. Maybe I can convince him to let me have a shot with it on the range to see. Yes the second line is key learning my yardages will help my scores a lot when I get onto the course. I try to work on flexibility and strength when I can. Thanks for posting.

[billchao]

10 hours ago, Jack50 said:

I wondered how those who have lost distance like to play? I used to hit my 7 iron nearly 200 yards, now it's more like 150. Not to go into detail but needs some surgery and took a couple of years to start swinging golf club again. I'm hoping some power comes back but not holding my breath as I'm losing weight. The problem is my accuracy is no better than it was on each club. The question is should I lay up a lot of par 4s and play them as 3 shot holes or just go for it? I wondered how those that have lost yardage like to play? Maybe I need to practice more than I used to. I used to take an 7 iron off most tees and get the ball out there 190-200 yards , sometimes even an 8 iron for 180. This would leave me a shot to the green. I can't do that anymore now I've lost 50 yards per club. Any tips on what to do for strategy would be helpful. My short game is ok (for a casual player), especially inside 50 yards I would expect to get down in 3 85-90% of the time. Thanks.

Is moving up a set of tees not an option?

[Jack50]

9 hours ago, billchao said:

Is moving up a set of tees not an option?

Not as Enjoyable.

[pganapathy]

@Jack50 - Two options, and maybe even both of them together.  Definitely need to hit a longer club off the tee than 7 iron.  Hybrids, fairway woods or even driver to get it out there.  Then consider playing the appropriate tees for your length.

 

Out of curiousity, at 200 yards distance, why weren't you hitting longer clubs than a 7 iron off the tee

[ChetlovesMer]

You can hit your 7 iron 150. That's fine. You don't really need to hit it longer than that. (Longer is generally better, but 150 7 iron is fine.) 

A 150 7-iron probably means a 250 driver. (More or less) So you should have enough length to play most courses. 

I know a lot of folks say this and it's become almost a cliche' on this site, but read LSW and you'll have all the strategy questions you need answered.

 

On 7/16/2021 at 7:48 AM, boogielicious said:

I hit my 7 iron around 145. Most of the course it play have par 4s from 325 to 425. I still use driver off the tee on most and then the appropriate club to come in. Yesterday on a 440 yard par 4 I used driver and 4H to get on the green. I landed short with the hybrid, but it rolled on.

Best advice is to learn your current distances and shot zones and then work on getting your flexibility and strength back. Surgeries take a lot out of your body and it can take a while to get it back.

This is good advice. 

[Shindig]

23 hours ago, Jack50 said:

I think a driver or wood would be ideal. I need to groove them on the range. I've only been practicing with irons. Hitting 5 iron 170 off the tee isn't good enough on some holes, they become a 3 shotter. The key is getting the ball in play and avoiding big scores though for the casual player to enjoy themselves. My friend has a 3H, I was never able to hit those things. Maybe I can convince him to let me have a shot with it on the range to see. Yes the second line is key learning my yardages will help my scores a lot when I get onto the course. I try to work on flexibility and strength when I can. Thanks for posting.

A swing with a hybrid or a fairway wood isn't that much different from an iron.  A lot of what you've been practicing with irons, assuming you've been practicing well, will translate.  

[Divot Master]

On 7/16/2021 at 7:25 AM, Jack50 said:

I wondered how those who have lost distance like to play? I used to hit my 7 iron nearly 200 yards, now it's more like 150. Not to go into detail but needs some surgery and took a couple of years to start swinging golf club again. I'm hoping some power comes back but not holding my breath as I'm losing weight. The problem is my accuracy is no better than it was on each club. The question is should I lay up a lot of par 4s and play them as 3 shot holes or just go for it? I wondered how those that have lost yardage like to play? Maybe I need to practice more than I used to. I used to take an 7 iron off most tees and get the ball out there 190-200 yards , sometimes even an 8 iron for 180. This would leave me a shot to the green. I can't do that anymore now I've lost 50 yards per club. Any tips on what to do for strategy would be helpful. My short game is ok (for a casual player), especially inside 50 yards I would expect to get down in 3 85-90% of the time. Thanks.

I experienced a back injury from a car accident about 20 years ago. Got several medical opinions, some recommended surgery, others didn't. I skipped the surgery, but got physical therapy monthly for about 4 years, then monthly therapeutic massage for about 10 years. During this time, my driver distance dropped from about 240 yards to about 200 yards. I also was having to walk off the course about 1 round in 3, because of back pain. I considered quitting the game completely.

About 4 years ago, I began working 2 x per week with a personal trainer, using a golf specific program of approximately 1/3 strength training, 1/3 speed training, and 1/3 flexibility exercises. By the 3rd year I was back to driving 240 to 260 and enjoying the game again. And one other thing, I am 66 years old.

In my opinion, it is a hell of a lot easier to hit a driver 240-260 than it is to hit a 7 iron 200.  A regimen of focused exercise plus regular lessons from a pro would likely serve you well, as it has done for me.

Good luck!

[Jack50]

20 hours ago, pganapathy said:

@Jack50 - Two options, and maybe even both of them together.  Definitely need to hit a longer club off the tee than 7 iron.  Hybrids, fairway woods or even driver to get it out there.  Then consider playing the appropriate tees for your length.

 

Out of curiousity, at 200 yards distance, why weren't you hitting longer clubs than a 7 iron off the tee

If I hit more than 7 Iron I was worried about not putting the ball in play. Sometimes I hit more club, sometimes I took up to a 4 iron usually off the tee on par 5s where the fairways tend to be wider, or on par 4s with wider fairways I might have taken 6/5/4. Getting it out there 200 yards is reasonable on almost every hole so it was OK.

Edited July 18, 2021 by Jack50

[Carolina Doc]

On 7/17/2021 at 3:42 AM, Jack50 said:

Not as Enjoyable.

I'm 68.  That's what I was concerned about as I aged.  But when I finally went to the seniors tee, it made the game more enjoyable.  You just have to check your ego at the door.  

[Esox]

I was a very long hitter 30 years ago, one of the very few I knew  that could consistently hit the driver 300 yards with the old technology we had.  Back then I'd hit a 7 iron carrying it 165 with drop and stop spin.  I still cant fathom hitting a 7 iron 200 yards.  One thing I wonder about hitting short irons that long, does one carry 6 wedges????

With new technology I have only lost 5 yards between 32 and 62.... have you tried new clubs?

Edited July 18, 2021 by Esox

[Shindig]

Another thought:  how much has your accuracy changed with the decreased distances?  In other words, is your current 200 yard club a reasonable tee shot now, comparable to your previous 200-yard 7-iron shots?

[Jack50]

25 minutes ago, Esox said:

I was a very long hitter 30 years ago, one of the very few I knew  that could consistently hit the driver 300 yards with the old technology we had.  Back then I'd hit a 7 iron carrying it 165 with drop and stop spin.  I still cant fathom hitting a 7 iron 200 yards.  One thing I wonder about hitting short irons that long, does one carry 6 wedges????

With new technology I have only lost 5 yards between 32 and 62.... have you tried new clubs?

It's just I play multiple sports including strength ones, so I could blast it along way if I wanted. I had stiffer shafts before surgery, now I just use regular graphite ones. Oddly enough my strength is still up there reasonably high in the gym, I have lost loads off my golf shots though. Guess the speed has been lost from the attempted gain in stability from the surgerys by the surgeon.

7 minutes ago, Shindig said:

Another thought:  how much has your accuracy changed with the decreased distances?  In other words, is your current 200 yard club a reasonable tee shot now, comparable to your previous 200-yard 7-iron shots?

My 150 yard 7 iron is comparable to my 200 yard 7 iron for accuracy. That's the issue basically. 

Edited July 18, 2021 by Jack50

[boogielicious]

17 minutes ago, Jack50 said:

It's just I play multiple sports including strength ones, so I could blast it along way if I wanted. I had stiffer shafts before surgery, now I just use regular graphite ones. Oddly enough my strength is still up there reasonably high in the gym, I have lost loads off my golf shots though. Guess the speed has been lost from the attempted gain in stability from the surgerys by the surgeon.

My 150 yard 7 iron is comparable to my 200 yard 7 iron for accuracy. That's the issue basically. 

Give it time and work on getting your flexibility and core strength back. Resistance band training and swing speed training can help. SuperSpeed golf sticks are one way to get speed back.

[Billy Z]

On 7/17/2021 at 3:42 AM, Jack50 said:

Not as Enjoyable.

I don't know why it wouldn't be 'more' enjoyable? Would it cause more separation in your mind between you and scratch golfers, or even professional golfers? Would you rather shoot 100 from the back tees or 85 from the white tees? A refusal to move up to the proper tee box is a reason for frustration, and slow pace of play. I am 66 now and feel that I have earned the privilege to play from the white tees. When I golf with my friends I really enjoy playing from the whites and don't care what anybody else thinks.

[Jack50]

14 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Give it time and work on getting your flexibility and core strength back. Resistance band training and swing speed training can help. SuperSpeed golf sticks are one way to get speed back.

Ordered some SuperSpeed Golf Sticks. Thanks.

11 hours ago, Billy Z said:

I don't know why it wouldn't be 'more' enjoyable? Would it cause more separation in your mind between you and scratch golfers, or even professional golfers? Would you rather shoot 100 from the back tees or 85 from the white tees? A refusal to move up to the proper tee box is a reason for frustration, and slow pace of play. I am 66 now and feel that I have earned the privilege to play from the white tees. When I golf with my friends I really enjoy playing from the whites and don't care what anybody else thinks.

I'm hoping to regain some distance after reading the replies. Scoring better/respectably from my current tees is the current goal. My club only has ladies, members and competitions tees. I play from the members.

[pganapathy]

On 7/18/2021 at 5:23 AM, Jack50 said:

If I hit more than 7 Iron I was worried about not putting the ball in play. Sometimes I hit more club, sometimes I took up to a 4 iron usually off the tee on par 5s where the fairways tend to be wider, or on par 4s with wider fairways I might have taken 6/5/4. Getting it out there 200 yards is reasonable on almost every hole so it was OK.

Perhaps you should play hybrids.  The most accurate club in my bag is my 4 hybrid.  I can hit that about 200 yards.  But if you can hit a fairway wood or Driver reasonably accurately, I would suggest going with those off the tee.  I either play my Driver or hybrid off the tee on every hole except shorter par 3's.  Obviously being off the fairway isn't ideal but if the penalty isn't severe, consider the advantage length gives you.  @iacas here, is a coach and has written a book called Lowest Score Wins, and in it he talks about the advantage length confers. Look into it